A Tale Of Joy...

[haloatco]

Hi Folks,

Having just returned from a spotting/photography trip around the north, I felt it was important to share some positive things about the railways and the experiences we had....

Firstly, Virgin Trains from Euston to Lancaster.... fantastic First Class breakfast and a speedy and punctual service. Customer service was excellent....

Spotting and photography using a tripod at Carlisle (on two consecutive nights)... Really good approach to enthusiasts from the staff at Citadel, as well as a friendly and positive attitude from the local police officers. In addition, the station staff member who came to check if we were staying overnight and that everything was okay was a very nice touch. It was an absolute joy to carry out railway photography without being hassled. A true credit to the industry and something positive for enthusiasts!! I wish more TOC's would take note.

Photography at Glasgow Central, Queen Street, Edinburgh, Haymarket... No hassle, no grief, and particularly no animosity towards enthusiasts.. In fact, in pretty much all situations, we found the staff to be positive, friendly and receptive.

I hope that for all of you that have had negative experiences whilst carrying out your hobby/passion, that you take heart in the fact that there are still lots of great people out there that will treat you with respect and allow you to take an interest without feeling threatened or belittled.

 

[anthony263]

Glad to see that your trip was enjoyable

 

[ole man]

You said it all in your first sentance, you was in the north.
Most stories i read are from the south, where you will find clueless/over zealous,jobsworth's trying to prove themselves.

 

[haloatco]

Despite being a Northerner by birth (and in my soul), I suspect a lot of the way enthusiasts are viewed in the north stems from not only the more relaxed approach to things, but the lack of the ever present security threat that is needlessly fuelled in the south. A lot of this is reflected in the reduced number of station announcements in the north and not having the need to constantly bleat at people with regards to leaving luggage, security officers patrolling, etc.

That's not to say that I haven't had good experiences in the south too, just that it was refreshing to be given the space to enjoy something without feeling like you present some sort of risk element. I really felt that this space is reflected in the more accomplished images that I took, and more importantly, my overall joy with the whole thing!!

 

[ole man]

A very good valid point made.
Cracking pictures, nice 1

 

[noddy1878]

I had no trouble early in september in Glasgow and Edinbugh. In fact the duty manager at Edinburgh went to the trouble to let me know when allth sleepers were arriving.

 

[Greenback]

It is nice to hear such a positive tale from the OP.

 

[the sniper]

Glad you had such a good experience Haloatco, if you've got some time free it may be worth writing a letter to Virgin and the force of the police officers (certainly if they were BTP) about your positive experiences as such comments are normally very much appreciated.

Nice pictures too.

 

[Schnellzug]

Despite being a Northerner by birth (and in my soul), I suspect a lot of the way enthusiasts are viewed in the north stems from not only the more relaxed approach to things, but the lack of the ever present security threat that is needlessly fuelled in the south. A lot of this is reflected in the reduced number of station announcements in the north and not having the need to constantly bleat at people with regards to leaving luggage, security officers patrolling, etc.

That's what i think it is, I think it satisfies London's sense of importance to feel that there's an ever present Terrorist Menace. And similarly, it makes the London-centric TOCs feel that they're important.

 

[AlterEgo]

The staff at Carlisle are very pro-enthusiast. They also run ghost tours for CLIC Sargent every few months, taking punters down into the "Undercroft" which is a pretty weird place. I'm sure there is one planned for Hallowe'en.

Carlisle is a good place to spot overall. It has understanding staff, plenty of interesting traffic, and loads of space at the ends of platforms to snap photos without getting in anybody's way.

Glad you liked the Pendolino breakfast - although I'm gutted the kippers were withdrawn recently!

 

[TDK]

You said it all in your first sentance, you was in the north.
Most stories i read are from the south, where you will find clueless/over zealous,jobsworth's trying to prove themselves.

It may be that the North is not on such a high terrorist risk - just try to look at the wider picture than to start insulting rail staff

 

[Schnellzug]

Whatever possible use could any of the "Precautions Against Terrorism" possibly be in preventing a Terrorist Strike? It's all just "we must be seen to be Doing Something", isn't it.

And let's be honest, it's usually not rail staff that are the clueless and zealous Jobsworths; it's private security thugs- i mean, personnel, and, i'm sorry to say, too many members of the proper Police.

 

[ole man]

That is my opinion and i will stand by it, i work down south most days and weekends and that is the case in my eyes.
Most of the station staff down south are robots and have no common sense, they play by the made up rule book with not a inch of leeway, hence the lack of common sense.
This might have something to do with the fact that most of station staff down do not speak good english and is probably there second language.

 

[anthony263]

That is my opinion and i will stand by it, i work down south most days and weekends and that is the case in my eyes.
Most of the station staff down south are robots and have no common sense, they play by the made up rule book with not a inch of leeway, hence the lack of common sense.
This might have something to do with the fact that most of station staff down do not speak good english and is probably there second language.

I agree with that , Most of the staff at London Paddington for example are great, apart from 1 foreign woman, who seems to think it is against the law to take pictures and wont change her mind even when you show her the rules. I have made a complaint to FGW etc about her and i know someone else who has had a run in with her.

Things are generally ok in the western parts of the uk as well staff at Carmarthen are brilliant, even spent some time there after arriving at 01:30 before getting the 02:45 service back down to Swansea to get the 03:58 departure to London Paddington.

Bristol TM also has a lot of gret staff, even spent sometime before chatting to 1of the BTP officers, same could be said with the staff at Cardiff central.

 

[haloatco]

There are always going to be a few people who have their own rule book about things, some of it being down to incorrect training, some down to ignorance, and some even down to beligerence. I work in a secure area and you occasionally encounter security staff with weird foibles... I always react in the same way... do whatever I'm asked, and then deal with it through the proper channels afterwards if required. Ultimately, if you aren't doing anything of concern, then there's rarely anything to worry about. Often the best way to react is to not react at all

I suspect that due to the dwindling number of active railway enthusiasts, a lot of interest stems from a curiosity, often due to the stereotype that is peddled about the kind of people we are supposed to be. If people want to come and chat to me with a preconceived idea as to what I'm like, then they often get a bit of shock to discover that I am generally personable, erudite, and passionate about the things that I enjoy... just because that happens to be trains doesn't change my personality!!

Oh, and if any of you are at the RH&DR gala on Sunday the 2nd then come and say hello... I'm driving St. Egwin

 

[Temple Meads]

I've taken pictures/numbers on most major stations in the south, and never had a problem, and that's with not usually making myself known to the station staff, nonetheless I do fret a little about being approached.